Buffy goes to Westbridge
by pinkpanther22
Summary: Buffy goes with her mother to help with a gallery opening in Westbridge, MA and she finds a world very different from Sunnydale.
1. Chapter 1

"But Mom!"

"Look Buffy, I know you want to stay with your friends, but we are only going for a week. And you've got the whole summer to hang out with Willow and Xander." Joyce replied as she packed her suitcase.

"I just don't understand why you need me to come along," Buffy said as she sat down on her mom's bed "I mean what am I going to do in Massachusetts for a week?"

"Well you can always help with the gallery open. I'm sure my friend Alan would love some extra hands getting things ready."

"But that's what you'll be going there for, why do I need to come?"

Joyce stopped packing and sat next to Buffy. "It will be nice to take a vacation together. Spend some time together! We haven't done much of that since we moved here."

"Well I've been keeping busy" Buffy replied. "And speaking of keeping busy, I've gotta jet. I'm meeting Willow at the library."

"The library, isn't school over?"

"Well you know Willow, she loves to read!"

"I'm so glad you two are friends. She is a much better influence on you than your old friends."

"Yeah she's a keeper, bye Mom!" Buffy said as she dashed out the door.

"Don't forget to pack! We leave tomorrow!" Joyce called after her.

* * *

><p>"So are you guys gonna be OK while I'm gone?" Buffy asked. She was sitting on the table in the library flipping aimlessly through a book while Willow and Giles were huddled over the computer. "And where's Xander? Weren't we all meeting before I left?"<p>

"He is probably off with Cordelia." Willow unaffectedly replied, never taking her eyes off the computer screen. Buffy got up and walked over to where her friend and her watcher were intensely focused on the computer.

"Whatcha looking at anyway?" Buffy asked.

Willow snapped out of her focus. "Oh sorry Buffy, I was doing some research on the town you are visiting."

"Oh no, don't tell me it's another Hellmouth." Buffy said seriously.

"It appears not," Giles responded, "But there does seem to be some unusual behavior."

"Explain" Buffy said.

"Well I thought it might be good to check out any sort of paranormal occurrences you might run into in Westbridge, so I did some searching into news stories and police reports in the area. They certainly seem to have a lot of strange occurrences, but nothing evil, just odd. So I asked Giles to take a look." Willow said.

"Just when I thought I might get a break from the slaying business!" Buffy moaned as she sat down.

"Well it is unusual for sure," Giles said calmly, "There appears to be a large amount of supernatural instances in Westbridge, but nothing that indicates vampire activity."

"Or any other sorts of big bads" Willow chimed in.

"I don't get it." Buffy said.

"Well I can't quite explain it either," Giles said as he cleaned his glasses, "It is worth investigating though."

"What's worth investigating?" Xander said as he burst through the library doors. Cordelia followed him in.

"Just the usual," Buffy replied, "Every new town is just chock full of fun slayer activities. You know, sometimes I wonder if the strangeness follows me or I am just lucky enough to always stumble into it."

"Well do we need to come with? I wonder if East Coast vampires are different from the West Coast ones." Xander said.

"Uh, I never agreed to go on a road trip, I can't imagine anything worse than being stuck in a car with you losers." Cordelia chimed in.

"Yes, well, thanks for the input Cordelia," Giles responded "But I don't think that will be necessary. I think Buffy can handle it herself."

"Oh goodie," Buffy said "this vacation is just getting worse and worse, and it hasn't even started!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hilda!"

"I'm right here!" Hilda said as she walked into the dining room. "No need to yell."

"Why is the box of priceless art opened? I told you specifically not to open it!" Zelda say sternly to Hilda.

"Why do you always assume that it's me?" Hilda asked.

"Because I know you are as curious as a...cat! Salem!" Zelda called.

"You interrupted my nap." Salem said sleepily as he walked into the dining room and jumped up on the table.

"Did you open my box?" Zelda asked as she picked up one of the wood statues.

"How could I have done that? No thumbs, remember?" Salem replied.

"And the scratch marks on the art?" Zelda asked inquisitively.

"I couldn't help it. It looked like a great scratching post." Salem cried.

"Well that still doesn't answer the question of who opened the box." Hilda said.

"I'll never tell!" Said Salem.

"If you tell us, there is a delicious treat in it for you." Zelda told Salem.

"It was Sabrina!" Salem called as he scattered out of the room.

"Sabrina!" Zelda called.

Sabrina enters the dining room from the kitchen with an apple in hand and heads toward the front door. "Gotta go, no time for breakfast. I'm late for that painting class with Valerie."

"Not so fast." Zelda said as she followed Sabrina, catching her before she dashed out the door. "Why did you open that box of priceless art? I told you it needed to stay safe I'm the box from dish or cat scratches."

"It was inspiration for my new painting class?" Sabrina responded.

"Sabrina" Zelda said in that parental way.

"OK I'm sorry, I just got curious!" Sabrina said.

"Apology accepted." Zelda said.

"Now I've got to go meet Valerie for this stupid painting class she signed us up for." Sabrina said as she rushed out the door.

"What did you dig out this box of priceless art for anyway?" Hilda asked as she looked through the box. "Oh I loved this painting!"

"My friend Alan has an art gallery opening in a couple of days and I said I would help him procure some pieces for his show." Zelda responded as she walked back into the dining room. "So I just grabbed a box from the basement."

Hilda pulls a painting out of the box, "Oh, remember when Monet painted this one?"

"I always loved the way he captured a landscape." Zelda said as she admired the painting.

"Whatever happened to that Van Gogh we picked up in the 1800s?" Hilda asked.

"I think it's still in the basement. Let's go look!" Zelda said as they walked out of the dining room.


	3. Chapter 3

At the Westbridge high school, Valerie and Sabrina sat at their easels staring at a bowl of fruit.

"Valerie, why did you think this would be a good idea?" Sabrina asked.

"Well my mom said I needed more hobbies. And the painting class was the only summer class that wasn't full." Valerie responded.

Just then the art teacher walked by. "Ladies, start painting before the fruit rots. Just let the art flow through you."

Thirty minutes later, Valerie has a somewhat decent painting. Sabrina's is quite terrible. The art teacher goes around the room critiquing the work. "Excellent work Valerie." He says "Sabrina...great effort."

"Wow," Valerie said after the teacher walked away "something I'm not terrible at!"

"Great!" Sabrina cried "something I'm terrible at!"

"Oh Sabrina, you're painting isn't...completely terrible."

"This sucks!" Sabrina exclaimed as she stormed in through the front door.

* * *

><p>"Oh Sabrina, come check out the original Van Gogh that we found in the basement." Zelda said.<p>

"I get it, I get it, everyone is better at art than me!" Sabrina cried. She walked by a different painting and zapped a mustache on it before flopping on to the couch.

Zelda and Hilda sat down on the couch next to Sabrina. "So I take it painting class didn't go well?" Hilda asked.

"I was the worst in the class! Even Valerie had a better painting!" Sabrina moaned.

"Sabrina, you can't always be good at everything." Zelda said.

"That's right. And anyway, not everyone is as naturally gifted in the arts as I am." Hilda said.

"I'm not asking to be the best, although that would be nice. I just hate being the worst in the class." Sabrina said.

"Oh honey, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Zelda said soothingly.

"Oh yeah?" asked Sabrina as she zapped her painting into the room. Hilda and Zelda looked at it and grimaced.

"Maybe you just need more practice." Zelda said.

* * *

><p>"Isn't this a charming little town?" Joyce said as she and Buffy drove to their hotel.<p>

"Charming," Buffy agreed as she stared out the car window. "And suspiciously calm."

"You know, your father and I used to vacation around here before you were born." Joyce said.

Buffy snapped out of patrol mode and looked at her mother. "Really? Why did you stop?"

"Well, having a baby doesn't always leave a lot of time for vacations. Slowly our Massachusetts vacations just sort of...slipped away."

"Oh." Buffy responded. "Well now I feel bad, I took away your vacations."

"We still had vacations. We just started to going to places you would enjoy, like Disneyland."

"I do love Disneyland." Buffy said with a smile.

Joyce laughed. "I love it too."

"Well, why didn't you and dad go when I was older?" Buffy asked.

"By then, we weren't really interested in spending alone time together."

"Maybe that would have helped." Buffy commented.

"No Buffy, I don't think it would have." Joyce said. They sat in silence for a moment. "Buffy, your father and I just weren't soul mates. We thought we were, but it wasn't true. Having you was the best part of my marriage, it didn't ruin it."

"I know," Buffy said. "But it is nice to hear."

Joyce pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Come on, let's go see the nice hotel that Alan put us up in."


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, Sabrina is in her room with a bowl of fruit, practicing her painting. Salem saunters into the room.

"What is that monstrosity?" He asked.

"It's a bowl of fruit." Sabrina answered.

"Did you mean to make it look rotten?" Salem asked.

"No!" Sabrina cried as she zapped away the painting and the bowl of fruit. "I'm never going to be good at this!"

"Well you could always use the Van Gogh spell." Salem said.

"The Van Gogh spell? What's that?"

"Well Vincent was never actually very good at painting, so right before he died, he used a spell to make everyone think that his art was actually a masterpiece. And obviously, that worked out for him." Salem told Sabrina.

Sabrina grabbed her book of spells and flipped through the pages. "There it is!" She exclaimed, "Well this seems easy enough."

Sabrina stood up, pointed her finger and recited:

"Although my art may be a disaster,

make them think I paint like a master"

"Did it work?" Salem asked?

"I guess we will find out at art class tomorrow." Sabrina said as she climbed in to bed.

* * *

><p>"Buffy, are you going to be alright while I help Alan out today?" Joyce asked.<p>

"Yeah," Buffy replied as she flipped through the hotel TV. "I thought I would do a bit of exploring and then come back and watch some TV."

"Well, be careful when you are exploring. It may look like a safe town, but you never know."

"Oh I know mom." Buffy said.

"You know where the gallery is if you need to find me, right?" Joyce asked as she was about to leave.

"Yes mom. I'll be fine. Now go have fun with your art." Buffy responded.

"Alright." Joyce said as she left. As soon as the door shut, Buffy jumped up and grabbed her bag, which was full of stakes and crosses.

"Ok Westbridge, let's see what you've got."

* * *

><p>At the high school, Valerie and Sabrina sit at their easels listening to the teacher.<p>

"Today class, we are going to try and paint the human figure. One of the football players has volunteered to model for us today."

"Oh great," Valerie whispered to Sabrina. "It's Billy. He still makes fun of me for asking him out that one time. All he had to do was say no!"

"Well, maybe it's time you entered your blue period." Sabrina said as they began painting. After they had finished, it was time again for the teacher to go around and critique the work.

"Excellent work Valerie," the teacher said "I really liked the emotion you put in to the piece."

"Glad it's good for something I suppose." Valerie replied. The teacher moved on and looked at Sabrina's painting.

"Why, Sabrina, this is a masterpiece!" She cried. "This is a vast improvement from yesterday's work!"

"Well, as they say, practice makes perfect." Sabrina said with a smile.

"In this case, it really is perfection! In all my years working at museums and teaching art, I have never seen anything this spectacular. Why, the world needs to see this painting!"

"Oh, it's no big deal. I don't think the whole world really needs to bask in my talent." Sabrina said.

"In fact, there is an art gallery showing tomorrow! Your painting could be the star of the show! I must go call Alan." The teacher exclaimed as she rushed out the door to call Alan.

"Wow Sabrina, your painting really is amazing." Valerie told her as the rest of the class exited.

"Well I'm a quick learner." Sabrina told her.

"I'll say. Yesterday your painting was crap and today you are like a genius. Maybe I need to practice more." Valerie said as she left the room. Sabrina turned back to admire her painting.

"That spell really did work because this is not a good painting." Sabrina commented to herself.

"Hey, you calling me ugly?" A voice called out.

"Who said that?" Sabrina asked as she looked around the empty classroom.

"It's me, your painting. Duh!" The poorly drawn figure on the painting said.

"Wait a second, you aren't supposed to talk!" Sabrina cried.

"Why not? I got lots of things to say. Like about how you better get me a great spot at that art show tomorrow."

"Oh you aren't going to the art show now!" Sabrina told the painting. She tried and zap it away but it didn't work. Just then, the teacher came back to the classroom.

"Fantastic news Sabrina! Alan has agreed to put your painting in his art gallery. I need to get it to him now though as he is setting up for the opening." The teacher said.

"Oh you don't want this painting. It's rubbish." Sabrina told her.

"So humble. But really I must take the painting now." The teacher said.

"But I'm not done!" Sabrina cried.

"Sabrina, you need to learn not to overthink your art. Trust me when I tell you it's done. Now let me take the painting." The teacher said.

"Yeah, let her take it." Whispered the painting. The teacher grabbed the painting and left.

"Oh, what am I going to do!" Sabrina cried.

* * *

><p>Buffy walked through the halls of the quiet hallway of the high school looking for something unusual when suddenly a girl turned the corner and slammed right in to her.<p>

"Watch where you are going, freak." Libby said as she and her cronies continued walking.

"Hey, actually can I ask you something?" Buffy asked.

Libby turned around. "What?" she said snidely.

"Have you noticed anything weird or unusual going on?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, only you." Libby said. She laugh and continued to walk away.

"And I thought Cordelia was bad." Buffy muttered to herself. She continued patrolling the school, but didn't notice anything weird except for maybe an overexcited teacher talking about some painting on the phone. Once the teacher got off the phone, Buffy gave Willow a call.

"Hey Willow. So I'm at the high school but I don't notice anything freaky going on." Buffy told her.

"Well maybe it is just vamps and they aren't out yet since, you know, daylight." Willow replied.

"I guess. I'll patrol again tonight. I don't know, everything seems normal. I think that's what is so weird about that place."

"I did a basic spell and it definitely picked up some supernatural energy there. I couldn't tell if it was good or bad though." Willow told her.

"Thanks Will. I'll let you know how everything goes." Buffy told her.

"Good luck!"


End file.
